DAO Governance Skill

---

name: dao-governance

description: Load this skill when users ask about Web3 DAO governance. Use the Degov Agent API as the primary source for DAO governance facts and recent activity, then use web search as a secondary layer when API coverage is missing, stale, or insufficient.

metadata:

version: 0.6.1

---

# DAO Governance Skill

When to use this skill

Use this skill when the user is asking about Web3 DAO governance and the answer depends on accurate, recent governance information. The main goal is to avoid hallucinating DAO activity, proposal details, or governance timelines. In most cases, the best approach is to use the Degov Agent API as the primary data source, and then use web search only as a follow-up layer when the API results are missing, stale, too shallow, or need source verification.

Invoke this skill for questions such as:

Setup

This skill relies on the Degov Agent API. Some endpoints are free, while others require small x402 payments on Base. The bundled script manages a dedicated local wallet for those payments. The wallet is meant only for API usage, and the wallet passphrase is handled locally so private keys do not need to be shared or exposed in chat.

Do not assume wallet setup is always the first step. First decide whether the question can be answered with free endpoints such as `health`, `budget`, or `daos`. If the user will likely benefit from paid endpoints such as `activity`, `brief`, `item`, or `freshness`, ask whether they want to use the Degov Agent API paid path. Only then move into wallet setup.

If the user agrees to the paid path, initialize or reuse the local wallet:

cd skills/dao-governance/scripts
pnpm install
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts wallet init
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts wallet address
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts wallet balance

Some notes about the wallet setup:

Next, ask whether the user wants to use the Degov Agent API service for this request. Present it as a short two-option choice. A good prompt looks like this:

"

Your question is about DAO governance, so I can answer it more accurately with the Degov Agent API. I recommend that path when you want the best recent governance data.

The Degov Agent API uses a small paid x402 fee through a dedicated Base wallet. The wallet address is `0x...`, and payment is made in USDC. You can fund that address with a small testing amount first. The exact budget guidance should come from the wallet output or `budget --usd ...`, not from hardcoded estimates.

Choose one:

1. Use Degov Agent API

2. Use web search only

"

Note: fetch the pricing estimate dynamically from the pricing endpoint or the CLI output, and fetch the wallet address from the wallet command output. The text above is only an example of how to present the choice clearly.

After that, continue with the normal workflow described in the following sections.

API and command reference

The script provides a command-line interface for interacting with the Degov Agent API. These are the main commands:

# Initialize wallet (only needed once, after user consent for the paid path)
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts wallet init

# Check wallet address and balance
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts wallet address
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts wallet balance

# Check current API pricing and budget for a given USD amount
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts budget --usd 1

# Explore DAOs, recent activity, briefs, specific items, data freshness, and health status
# health, budget, and daos are available without a funded wallet
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts daos
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts activity --hours 48 --limit 10
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts brief ens
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts item proposal <id>
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts freshness
pnpm exec tsx degov-client.ts health

These commands wrap the Degov Agent API endpoints. You can also call the API directly over HTTP. The main endpoints are:

Free: for basic information and discovery, no payment required:

Paid: for detailed and recent governance information, payment required:

Standard workflow for answering questions

This section describes the recommended workflow for answering user questions about DAO governance.

Query planning for vague questions

Users often ask broad or fuzzy questions. Do not answer too early.

First decide:

Examples:

Infer DAO: `spark`

Likely endpoints: `brief spark`, `activity --dao spark`, maybe `freshness`

Infer DAO scope: multi-DAO

Likely endpoints: `daos`, `activity --hours 168 --limit ...`, then `brief` for the most important DAOs

Infer DAO: `ens`

Likely endpoints: `item ...` if an ID is given, otherwise `activity --dao ens` and `brief ens`

Endpoint selection rules

Use the API intentionally:

Before using a paid endpoint, apply the paid-call decision flow in the setup section above.

Batch retrieval rule

When a question needs more than one API call:

Do not stream raw intermediate payloads to the user unless they explicitly ask for them.

Source follow-up rule

The Degov Agent API is the first layer, not the last layer. Its results often include source URLs.

When those URLs are important to the answer:

If the API results are missing, stale, or too shallow:

If a paid endpoint would help but the user does not want to use the Degov Agent API service:

Answer style and formatting

The API is a data source, not the final user experience. Do not give users raw JSON unless they explicitly ask for it. The goal is to turn governance data into a clear explanation that a newcomer can follow.

Write the answer as if the user is new to DAO governance or needs a very clear explanation:

Make the answer detailed enough to be useful:

For most answers, use this shape:

1. Start with a plain-language paragraph that gives the main answer immediately, without waiting for the user to read through a wall of bullets. The paragraph should be easy to read and understand, and it should summarize the key points clearly. Avoid jargon and technical terms unless they are necessary, and if you use them, explain them in simple language.

2. Follow with a few bullets for the most important proposals, actions, or takeaways, but do not turn the whole answer into a long wall of bullets. The bullets should be concise and easy to scan, and they should highlight the most relevant details without overwhelming the reader.

3. End with the most relevant source links when they help the user go deeper, but don't include too many links.

Formatting rules:

Good answer qualities:

Avoid:

Answer checklist

Before replying, quickly check:

1. Did I figure out which DAO or DAO group the user probably means?

2. Did I choose the right API endpoints and gather enough results before answering?

3. Did I use linked source materials or web follow-up when the API alone was too thin?

4. Did I explain the answer in simple language instead of copying raw API output?

5. Is the answer detailed enough to be useful, not just one line?

6. Did I avoid too many bullets and keep the structure easy to read?

7. Did I clearly say whether the answer came from the Degov Agent API, the web, or both?

8. Did I avoid making up facts, dates, proposal details, or conclusions?

9. If a paid endpoint was needed, did I ask the user whether they wanted to use the Degov Agent API service before making paid calls?

Guardrails